Garpet-sweeper



UNITED STATES BENEDICT FIGER, or SAN PAT NT OFFICE.

FRANCISCO, UALIFORNIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 257,927, dated May 16, 1882.

Application filed May 13, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENEDICT FIGER, of the city and county of San Francisco, in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carpet-Sweepers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention consists substantially in the combination of devices set forth in the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view of the box and frame with thebrushandrollerremoved. Thisviewshows the under side of the box. Fig. 2 is a detail view of the brush. Figs. 3, 4, 5,-and 6 show the manner .of hanging the drivingrollers at the left-hand side of Fig. i. Fig. 7 shows the bearin g for the brushshaft at the right-hand side of Fig. 1.

Let A represent the box or case, inside of which the brush B is rotated by the endless rubber belt 0, passing around the grooved bearing-wheels D D at one end of the machine in the usual way.

E E are the pans in the bottom of the box, between which the brush rotates, and into which the dirt and dust taken up by the brush are deposited. These pans are arranged in the usual way.

The bearing and driving wheels D D are mounted, one on each side of the brush-shaft, in a narrow compartmentat one end of the case A, which I will call the inside end, so that their lower rims will project below the bottom of the case and bear upon the floor, and their rims may be notched or corrugated, so as to give them traction on the carpet. This end compartmentis formed bya partition, F, which has an opening cut in its middle for the end of the brush-shaft to pass through. Each of the wheels D is supported by a short shaft, 9, which projects from a narrow plate, It, and this plate slides down in a groove, K, on the inner side of the partition F. The lower or outside end, i, of the plate is bent over, so as to extend across the under side of the partition and rest in a groove or depression in the edge of the partition, so as to sink it flush with the bottom of the case. This plate I secure in place by a screw, 9, which passes through the bent portion of the plate into the partition. This makes it easy to' remove the wheels, as it is only necessary to turn the case upside down, take out the screws, and draw the plate It out of the grooves in the partition, thus drawing the wheels out with them. I also make a recess, K, in the end of the case opposite the groove K, the bottom of which is opposite the shaft g, and the shaft is long enough to extend across the chamber, so that its opposite end rests upon or against the bottom of the recess. This provides a support for the outside end of the shaft, and is the best arrangement; but this outside bearing might be dispensed with if the shaft is strongly attached to the plate.

As stated above, the bearing and driving wheels D project below the case at the inside end of the sweeper, so as to run upon the floor. It is therefore necessary to support the opposite or outer end on about the same level. To do this I secure circular-faced metal shoes 1 at each opposite corner, each of which projects as far below the case as the wheels D. These shoes then form runners for the end of the sweeper to move on. I arrange the bristles on the sweeping-brush B in spiral rows, as shown, and the last row of bristles at the outer end of the brush I attach to the shaft at an angle, so that they will sweep outward from the end of the brush. I also reduce the thickness of the end of the case opposite the track of these angular bristles, so as to make it quite thin. This, however, has been done before; but I make the additional improvement of making these angular end bristles of extra length, so that they will not only project as far as the outside edge of the case, but beyond it, and thus sweep close up againsta wall, notwithstanding the thickness of the india-rubber be stretched and passed over the ease and allowed to contract around the case.

Inside of .the sweeper 1 make a pocket or tool-holder, P, usually on the under side of the permanent part of the top or cover of the ease, in which I place a combined screw-driver and comb, It, (shown at Fig. 1,) so that a tool or implementfor taking the sweeper apart and clearing the brush is-always convenient and ready for use. These improvements add greatly to the efliciency and convenience of the sweeper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

lhe combination, with the driving-wheels, of the ggooved partition and plate h,havingjournals gintegral therewith, fitting in said grooves ofthe partition and fastened at the bottom to the under side of the partition, substantially 25 as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal. 1

BENEDICT FIGER. [1,. s.]

Attest:

W. F. PARK, EDWARD E. OSBORN. 

